SERMON NOTES FOR MAY 29, 2011

MAKING SENSE OF HOW TO HONOR GOD
Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:1

A while back I was in an elevator and in front of me was a girl who was wearing a backpack covered in patches and on her backpack was a patch that read, “JESUS SAVE ME…FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS.”

I have to admit that when I first read it my first response was to get defensive. To think, “Who do you think you are?” You don’t know me and I’m a follower of Christ.” And many of us have a tendency to just that--to just dismiss this type of criticism. Let’s be honest, it’s rare that we take what others say about us to heart no matter who it is.

But then I begin to think to myself, “Well, is there any truth to this criticism?” Because let’s be honest, we are not perfect are we? In fact, do you know what book spends a great deal of time criticizing followers of Christ and their behavior? THE WORD OF GOD. It does. Often times it is God who is dealing out this criticism to us through His word.

We are continuing our sermon series through the book of Ecclesiastes entitled, “LESSONS LEARNED UNDER THE SUN.” Today we are back in chapter 7 looking at vv. 15-8:1.

In this passage of scripture, Solomon continues with his thorough investigation of life under the sun by taking a critical look at the beliefs and practices of the religious to try and make sense of what truly honors God. Here's the first principle,

RESPOND PROPERLY TO LIFE’S DIFFICULTIES

Solomon says,

15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.

Now let’s stop here for a moment. As we have seen already, Ecclesiastes is a book that just gives us a harsh dose of reality doesn’t it? It does. Truth is “Life is harsh." The good guys don’t always win; the hero does not always ride off into the sunset and as we said a few weeks ago when we talked about life’s difficulties, injustice and oppression are ever-present in our world. We see the innocent dealt discipline and the guilty get off scott free--that’s life.

In verse 15, Solomon shares with us another issue that he has observed in life that’s extremely frustrating. Solomon says, “I my vain life I have seen everything.” In other words, “I’ve seen it all.” He says, “There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.”

Can you feel the frustration of Solomon here? He is miffed. He’s miffed because the righteous are snuffed out in this life while the wicked live on for years and years and live a full and prosperous life. And that’s not just true in Solomon’s day. We know that to be true today. We do. I mean we see this all the time. We see the good die young and the wicked prosper. Think about the greatest man to ever live—The Lord Jesus. He lived 33 years. Then you have someone like Hugh Heffner who seems as if he is going to outlive us all.

Do anyone of you like this fact of life? No! I would say we are all a bit miffed at that. And because of this reality, Solomon explains that what many of us end up doing is responding in ways that are not god honoring.

Look at what Solomon writes in vv. 16-17. He says,

16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

When Solomon says, “Be not overly righteous,” he is not saying that we should not pursue godliness. He is saying that we should avoid being self-righteous. Remember that Solomon has just described in v. 15 how he has seen bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.

And upon hearing that, Solomon anticipates some saying, “Hey that’s not fair. It’s not fair that the good die young." "God you owe me for the life that i have lived for you!”

How many of you have thought that at one time or maybe have even said it? How many of you have said, “God I can’t believe you would allow me to go through this, when that wicked person over there clearly deserves it? Why me God? I don’t deserve this?”

Ever said something like that or thought it? Solomon’s point is to make this kind of statement is to be overly righteous and overly wise. It is to put what you think is right and your wisdom over God’s. Solomon warns against this.

If you are hurting because of tragedy in your life, let me urge you if you have not to draw close to God instead of growing bitter toward Him. Continue to love and trust in Him, know that He is on the throne, that He is in control and that He is good. Cling to Him, trust in Him, love, serve and remain faithful to Him and He will bring you through it.

Solomon goes on to say, “Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool.” Why should you die before your time?”

In this verse Solomon speaks of those who are on the other end of the spectrum when responding to these mysteries of life. Solomon explains that some will reason in this way, “Well if the wicked prosper, God must not be too concerned with sin so I guess I’m going to join them.” Some will say, “If God is not going to trade me obedience for blessing in the here and now, then I am just going to go and live how I want to live and create my own happiness.”

Solomon says this reasoning is also foolish and does not end well. He says this type of living with no bounds can result in God’s punishment in the here and now. Though God definitely punishes sin in the then and there—in the life to come, we know from Scripture that God also punishes sin in this life. So this ungodly response is to be rejected as well.

Instead Solomon gives us an alternative in v. 18. He says,

18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Solomon is basically saying here that the way to avoid the wrong answers to life’s tough questions is to have the right view of God. This goes back to what I said a few weeks ago. You know why theology is necessary? You know why studying about who God is and what he has done for us is important? Because the way we think about God, necessarily influences the way we live.

Solomon says, “We need to fear God--we need to stand in awe of, be astounded by, be amazed at, be captivated by, and have a profound respect for Him.” And what results from this way of thinking is humility instead of self-righteousness and righteous activity instead of immoral actions.

VALUE WISDOM ABOVE ALL ELSE

Like we have said several times before in this study, we have a tendency to place a lot of value upon things that God considers secondary--things like money, possessions, power and popularity.

Solomon says in v. 19,
19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Solomon’s point here is simply this, “Wisdom is better than having power, prominence and influence.” And remember Solomon proved he believed this by asking God for wisdom over power, wealth, success and long life.

Solomon wanted to rule God’s people in a god honoring way and be a good representative for Him, which is why he valued wisdom above all else. And as we have said already that’s what God wants from us as well. He wants us to value wisdom. God doesn’t care about how popular we are or the amount of money we make or about our success. That doesn’t impress God.

What God wants from you and from me is for us to be growing in our knowledge of Him and to in turn live for Him and represent Him in daily life. Do you want to honor God? Then seek to know His mind and His heart, seek to grow in wisdom and seek to live rightly for him.

DON’T THINK TOO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF

Solomon says,
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Now this message goes completely counter to the beliefs and teachings of those in our world. Many in our world believe that there is good in each and every one of us and if we do something wrong it’s not our fault, but societies because we are good—we are pure. Not according to Scripture. Don’t believe me? Just reread this verse or Romans 3. In Romans 3, Paul tells us that sin is universal; therefore we are all guilty before and accountable to God.

So we need to have a right view of ourselves and also need to project that right view to others. As believers, we need to hold each other accountable. We need to be open and honest with our struggles and need to encourage one another to live rightly for God and to press on to grow in godliness so that we can honor Him with our lives.

Solomon continues by saying,

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

Solomon continues here to talk about the importance of having a correct view of self. He basically says, “If you want to live a god honoring life, you need to learn to let stuff role off of you when people are critical.

If you get all up in arms every time somebody makes a critical statement about you, what does that say about you? Could it be that you might be taking yourself too seriously? Just think about what people would say about you if they really knew you. Also, remember you are not completely innocent. We are all guilty of the same thing. Each and every one of us have been judgemental at times and have spoken ill of others.

Let’s be honest, if we get all upset when people talk about us, we are really holding them to a higher standard than we hold ourselves because we are guilty of doing some of the same things. So if we want to honor God, we have to have a correct view of ourselves and be humble before Him.

ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

Though the Scriptures are crystal clear on the essentials—though we have everything we need to be saved and to live rightly for God, there are some things about God and His ways that are mysterious—that are beyond us.

Deuteronomy 29:29 gets at this,
29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. Deuteronomy 29:29

There are secret things about God’s person and His work that we don’t know and probably could not wrap our minds around even if God did reveal them to us. Now this should not discourage us but should in fact encourage us because it shows us how great our God is.

If God could be figured out by a pea brain 32 year old like myself, he wouldn’t be very impressive would He? So good biblical theology—right thinking about God always leaves room for mystery when it comes to His person and work.

In the past, I used to get miffed—just upset by the fact that there were all these questions that I could not answer. Questions I could not explain. But as I continued to study the Scriptures what I found that God wants from me more than anything else is not for me to come to know all the answers to all of life’s mysteries. That’s not what God wants. What He wants is for me to know that “He is God and I am not.” He wants me to leave the secret things to Him and simply come humbly before him and trust in HIM.

DON’T BE INFLUENCED BY THE WORLD

You want to honor God with your life? You want to live a life that counts? Don’t be influenced by this world.

26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.

Now I believe there is a lot more going on in v. 26 than simply what we read. I believe that Solomon is being transparent here. You see Solomon had fallen into the trap that he is warning against in this verse. In his search for wisdom, he was often sidetracked by some unwise choices regarding women. We are told that some of the women that he married were from other nations who turned His heart away from God. So Solomon is speaking from experience in this verse.

There is also a greater application to be made here. I believe this verse can be applied to all of our relationships. Friends are extremely influential; therefore we need to choose our relationships carefully because if the world was not influential, we would not be warned time and time to guard against it.

DON’T GO AT LIFE ON YOUR OWN

27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Here’s Solomon’s point. His point is that godly wisdom is hard to find because we naturally seek to live our lives and find enjoyment in life apart from God.

Let’s be honest, that’s the message in our world today isn’t it? In our world, we commonly hear phrases like, “Do what’s best for you,” “Do what feels right,” “Follow your heart,” “Let your conscience be your guide.” I mean we have all heard these types of statements before haven’t we? Do you know what is being communicated to people with this message? “Repeat the sin of Adam.” Is that not what he did?

Solomon tells us in this verse, “God created man upright, perfect in every way and in right relationship with Him.” But what did man do? He chose to go against God—he sought out many schemes and went against His word and went at life on his own without God’s guidance. Guess what? We still do this today.

When we do whatever we think is right apart from God, when we are led by our sinful desires, when we go at life on our own apart from Him, we are guilty of doing the same thing Adam and Eve did. Solomon says, “If you want to honor God with your life, you have to resist the sin of Adam—you have to resist the sin of going at life on your own.

CORRECTLY EXPRESS WHAT YOU CONFESS AND BELIEVE

A lot of the time though we might say one thing, our demeanor says another doesn’t it? Listen to what Solomon says,

8:1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

In other words, when we come to understand who God is and what he has done for us and what that means for us, our demeanor should change. Solomon says, God’s perspective—God’s wisdom, should cause our face to shine. As we grow in our knowledge of who God is and what He has done for us through His word, it should transform our demeanor.

Maybe you are lacking joy in your life. Let me ask you this. Are you reading God’s word? Are you studying the Scriptures? Are you turning to God for guidance and direction in your life?

If we are not hearing from God through His word—if we are not growing in our knowledge of Him through the Scriptures, is there any wonder why many of us are stuck in gloom? Is there any wonder why we are beat down by the world? Is there any wonder why we have the same fears and frustrations as unbelievers if we are not getting God’s perspective from His word?

CONCLUSION

You want to live a life that’s honoring and glorifying to God? This is what it takes. There may be some of you who are thinking to yourself, “Well if that’s the case I hate to think of what God thinks of me because the beliefs and practices that Solomon says are honoring to God are not my beliefs and practices.”

Maybe you are like the person Solomon describes in verse 29 who instead of living upright for God—instead of living a life of love and service to Him, you have sought out many schemes. In other words, up to this point in your life you have sought happiness apart from God. Believe me when I tell you this morning—believe Solomon from this text and this book that any pursuit of happiness apart from God ends in misery.

John Piper once said, "Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found." I want to invite you this day if you have not to “Come home to God.” Abandon your pursuit of happiness apart from Him and begin your pursuit of Him.

"Quote" of the Week

"Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found." -John Piper

SERMON NOTES FOR MAY 22, 2011

MAKING SENSE OF SOLOMON’S LIFE LESSONS
ECCLESIASTES 7:1-14

If you had a choice, which of the scenarios would you prefer—Birth or death, a party or a funeral, rebuke or praise, laughter or sadness?

I think all of us at first glance would prefer the former of these scenarios and the reason why is because we have all grown up thinking that for us to enjoy life our world has to be free of hardship.

When I was growing up, I truly believed that not one good thing could come from suffering and adversity; therefore I tried to avoid it at all cost.

We are continuing our sermon series through Ecclesiastes and in this passage of Scripture, Solomon is going to showcase his wisdom. If you thought he was wise before this chapter get ready because he is going to show how we are in the minor leagues when comparing our wisdom to his.

Now if you remember from last week, he ends chapter 6 with a question. He asks, “What is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life?” In other words, “Because life is so brief, how are we to spend the short time that we have?”

Well in chapter 7, Solomon takes time to answer this question. In these 14 verses, Solomon gives us 8 proverbs—8 life lessons.

Now I want to warn you, these life lessons are heavy—they are tough pills to swallow. Solomon is not preaching to the choir here—he is not giving popular talking points with these proverbs. These points go counter to the way think.
You are going to hear some of these and think to yourself, “Wait a minute…that just doesn’t sound right—that goes against what I have always thought.” If this is your thinking, let me remind you that we are reading from someone with far greater wisdom than our own. So let’s approach this text with open hearts and closed mouths and try and learn from Solomon’s wisdom.

Here’s the first point…

GOOD CHARACTER IS BETTER THAN GOOD COLOGNE

Solomon writes,
7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.

Listen to the first part of v. 1 again. Solomon says a good name is better than precious ointment. Now I know that sounds a little funny, but here is what Solomon is essentially saying. “A good name” refers to a good reputation and “precious ointment” refers to a good fragrance or cologne.

Solomon’s point is this, “A good smelling cologne, no matter how nice or expensive—it fades over time. It will stay with you for a while and you may get some complements on it, but over time it fades. A good name however, a good reputation—that sticks. In other words, “A name that lasts is better than a fragrance that fades." Solomon’s point is that the pleasing aroma of a good reputation is to be preferred.

If you smell bad on the outside that’s forgivable as long as it’s not a continual problem. A bad reputation, however, is much more difficult to live down and much less forgivable. That’s Solomon’s point. A good reputation is the most important thing about you.

We live in a world where the opposite is true. Where image is everything and character matters little. Solomon says the opposite. He says your character, your name, your reputation—it means everything. What people say about you is so important.

He goes on to say, “The day of death (is better) than the day of birth.”
Though many of us prefer birth over death, Solomon says death is better because at birth reputation doesn’t matter. There is not much to say about a new borns character because he/she hasn’t done anything yet. At the day of your birth skys the limit—anything is possible. But on the day of your death what you have done with your life is fixed—set in stone—can no longer be changed.

What kind of legacy are you leaving? A Godly legacy? The kind of legacy that your kids and grandkids will remember? Are you a man or woman of integrity? Are you a person who is respectable? Is your character godly? For those of you who claim to be a follower of Christ, how are you living up to that name? Do people when they find that you are a Christian say, “That explains everything.” Or do they say, “That’s shocking, because you act just like me.”

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO LIVE A FULL LIFE LIKE CHRIST AND LEAVE A LASTING GOD HONORING LEGACY.

FUNERALS ARE BETTER THAN PARTIES

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

Though many of us prefer parties over funerals, Solomon says the exact opposite. This is one of those verses that is meant to stop us in our tracks and cause us to think. What does Solomon mean here when he says that it’s better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting?

You ever notice at a party how lighthearted people are? Ever listened to the conversation? It’s just surface isn’t it? People prefer parties to escape from life’s realities.

At a funeral, however, you don’t have that option. Funerals have a tendency to knock us upside the head with the fact that death is a reality. Solomon’s point here is that funerals are good for us. He says, “It is the end of all mankind.” In other words, we are all eventually going to have our own funeral. I have some bad news for you today. I checked the Cherokee County death rate and it’s 100%. Death is the destiny of every man and woman and funerals bring us to terms with that and force us to ask the question, “Am I ready when my time comes?”

This is the kind of question that is often asked in the house of mourning and is pushed aside in the house of feasting.

SORROW IS BETTER THAN LAUGHTER

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Once again Solomon’s words are counter to ours. If we were honest, many of us would say that we prefer laughing over sadness. And let’s be honest, it seems as if Solomon would be on the same page with us here because he stresses the importance of laughter and joy more than few times in this book.

But as we discussed in an earlier sermon, though laughter can be a good medicine, many use it as a narcotic to escape the difficulties of life. At times people turn to laughter to help dull and numb the painfulness of life.

Though Solomon as much as any writer in the Scriptures calls for us to enjoy our life, he also knows that when things are wonderful we have a tendency to be unfaithful, unfruitful and downright unspiritual. But when we are sorrowful, when life gets tough, when the rug of comfort is pulled out from under us--those are the times we look to and trust in God.

If you want to be a great man or woman of character, though you shouldn’t seek it out, when sorrow comes don’t run from it. Instead, prayfully face it knowing that God uses sorrow and hardship to mold us and make us more like Him.

REBUKE IS BETTER THAN PRAISE

It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.

Solomon says that the praise and laughter of a fool is of no benefit. Now know that he is not talking here about genuine heart felt encouragement and praise. He’s talking about being around someone who always tells you what you want to hear—that mirror on the wall who always tells you that you are the fairest of all. Solomon says, “That’s empty.”

Instead, rebuke is to be preferred over praise. Learning how to receive rebuke builds character. If you want to be a man or woman of character--if you want to be more of what God wants you to be, you should prefer heartfelt rebuke over empty praise.

THE LONG HAUL IS BETTER THAN A SHORT CUT

Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

Once again this is contrary to the way many think, especially in our world. Things have become so fast pace in our lives and world that we, as a result, have become extremely impatient in every area of our life. And this impatience causes us to act in careless and unwise ways, which can make life extremely difficult.

When things don’t go according to our plans, many of us have a tendency to “jump ship” or to just get off the path that God has laid before us to find an easier route. That’s why God tells us time and time again in His word to “Be patient, weather the storms of life and stay the course.”

Maybe your walk with Christ has become extremely challenging. Let me encourage you this day to be patient, stay on the path that God has laid before you and trust that He is going to complete in you what He began in you.

THE PRESENT IS BETTER THAN THE PAST

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

I love to reminisce don’t you? I love thinking about the good old days. There is nothing wrong with reminiscing as long as it does not bring this sense of negativity into the present. Solomon says for those who make the point that the past is better than the present—that yesterday is better than today—he says it is not from wisdom that they say these things.

Remember that the seasons of life are appointed by God and to be dissatisfied with today is to be dissatisfied with the direction that God is leading in life and to be dissatisfied with the day He has provided. Remember the Psalmist who said, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Don’t let you longing for yesteryears prevent you from living for God today and enjoying your appointed season of life.

We always think that things were better way back when. Guess what? That’s not the case. We just suffer from short term memory. We at times can be like the children of Israel in the wilderness longing for Egyptian bondage.

The truth is, if you belong to God and are living for Him, things are great for you right now and the best is yet to come. Do you know why? Because this is the day the Lord has made—this is your appointed season to love God and live for Him so rejoice and be glad in it.

WISDOM IS BETTER THAN WEALTH

Like I said a few sermons ago, we think money is the answer to everything especially when it comes to security. Look at what Solomon says in vv. 11-12.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

Though Solomon says that money can provide some level of security it falls short of what wisdom can provide. Though money can provide shelter from the cold and the heat, a safe neighborhood and a security system, it is limited in the security it can bring and can run out. Like we have said already, a few bad investments and that protection can be gone.

Wisdom, however, is always a shelter. Wisdom gives us long life, helps us live our life well on planet earth and will preserve our life and take us into eternity with a rich reward. Wisdom—god honoring wisdom, keeps us from the things that will truly destroy us—the sin in our lives and in our world; money can’t do that. Wisdom can see us through the tragedies of life and bring us out stronger people; money can’t do that.

Solomon knew the benefits of money because he had a lot of it. He also knew the benefits of wisdom because he had a lot of it as well and knew that wisdom was far better. He says in Proverbs 8:10-11,

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

So always prioritize wisdom over prosperity for wisdom is better.

SEEING YOUR NEED IS BETTER THAN BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

We like to think of ourselves as being self-sufficient. Nothing could be further from the truth. Solomon says,

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

If anyone ever questioned God’s sovereignty, they haven’t studied this passage very carefully. Solomon shows in this verse of Scripture that God is in charge and that we are extremely limited. We can’t do anything about the past and don’t know anything about the future—we are limited. We cannot prevent anything that God is doing nor can we predict anything that He is going to do.

Why does God arrange life in this way? Why does he make crooked. Why does he appoint adversity along with prosperity? The answer is simple, so that we trust in Him. If everything in our life was perfect, we wouldn’t see any need for God and as a result would miss out on all the joys that come from knowing Him and living for Him.

"Beware of 'easy' routes; they often become expensive detours that are difficult and painful." -Warren Wiersbe

SERMON NOTES FOR MAY 15, 2011

MAKING SENSE OF THE UNFULFILLED LIFE
Ecclesiastes 6

I want to begin by reading you the lyrics from one of my favorite U2 songs.

“I have climbed the highest mountains. I have run through the fields only to be with you. I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls only to be with you. But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.”

Let me ask you, "Have you found what you are looking for? Have you found that special something, whatever it may be, that gives you that sense of satisfaction long term?" One thing I know for sure is that each and every one of us are on the same path to find that one thing that is going to bring us lasting satisfaction.

Today we are going to be in Ecclesiastes 6. We are at the halfway point of the book and in the text for today what Solomon is going to do is summarize some of what he has already said. Now why does he do this? Why does he just sound like a broken record throughout this book? I believe he does it for emphasis. Many of us, even after hearing Solomon’s teachings over the past couple of months that life under the sun is Hevel—it’s fleeting, futile, meaningless, useless and aimless, still continue day after day to pursue those things in hopes that lasting satisfaction will follow.

So Solomon is going to remind us again in this text, just in case we haven’t gotten it, that this pursuit is empty. He is going to remind us again this morning that we can climb the highest mountains, we can run through the fields, we can run we can crawl we can scale the city walls in pursuit of these things but we will not find what we are looking for, because it is not to be found under the sun.

This morning Solomon is going to help us make sense of the unfulfilled life.

First he tells us,

OUR RICHES UNDER THE SUN ARE NOT ALWAYS REWARDING
Like we have said already, when we are asked what’s it going take for us to be truly happy many of our minds become fixed on a dollar amount. Look at what Solomon says in vv. 1-2.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.

Twice in the previous chapter, we saw this phrase, “grievous evil.” The word evil used here is not describing something that is morally wrong, but something that is tragic. Solomon is saying here, “There is something extremely tragic that I have seen happen under the sun.” What’s tragic according to Solomon is, “A man could have all the gifts this world has to offer and not be happy.”

Before going into ministry I worked at a place called Golden Living, which is a corporate office for various nursing facilities in and around the country. One year they had an office Christmas party in the lobby of the building and allowed for employees to come and bring their kids to get pictures with Santa.

When the families came, they had the entire lobby decorated for Christmas. They had Santa and his setup and also had a huge Christmas tree that was surrounded with beautifully wrapped gifts. As the kids would walk in, at first their eyes would go to Santa and then they would become fixated on those gifts under the tree. A few of them even ran to the tree to look at the gifts. Upon picking them up, however, their smiles and excitement soon faded because the gifts were just props--they were nothing more than beautifully wrapped empty boxes.

Solomon’s point in v. 2 is this, “When thinking about what brings true happiness, those who become fixated on a dollar amount find that though they might get all they think they ever wanted, they find those things ultimately empty—nothing more than beautifully wrapped empty boxes." Why? Because like I said last week, "The enjoyment to be had in money and possessions is always outweighed by our desire for more of it."

Now notice in v. 2 that wealth in it of itself is not a bad thing. We talked about this a bit last week. God is not concerned with our socio-economic status, but is concerned with our spiritual status. It’s not a rich/poor thing with God, but a righteous/unrighteous thing.

One man could have a ton of wealth and if his wealth is his servant and not his master and if he uses his riches to bring glory to God, he can in turn be happy in this life. On the other hand, you could have a man with the same amount of money and if money is that persons master and not his servant and instead of being charitable he or she hoards wealth and does not use it for God’s glory, what they will experience is not happiness and satisfaction, but misery and frustration.

Notice what Solomon says in v. 2. He says, "A man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them."

It is God who gives wealth and it is God who grants us with the grace needed to make money our servant and use it in a way that honors Him. Let me challenge you, if this is a struggle of yours, get before God and prayerfully express your need of Him to grant you the strength and the grace needed to make money your servant so that you can use your wealth to honor Him.

OUR PROSPERITY IS NOT ALWAYS PLEASING
3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?

Many think, “If I can just live a long and prosperous life then I’ll be good—I’ll be happy.” Solomon explains in this passage that a long and prosperous life in it of itself doesn’t lead to lasting happiness.

Now for us to truly understand this passage, we have to take off our shoes so to speak and put on some Hebrew sandals. In other words, we need to leave our western mind set behind for a moment and enter into their world to understand what prosperity meant for the Jewish people. Solomon is very much speaking the language of his Hebrew readers from 3000 years ago, but there is clear application for us today.

First he talks about a man fathering a hundred children. Now some of you hear that and think to yourself, “Yeah, I could have told you that would not lead to happiness because it’s mad around my house with 2 or 3 kids.”

But times were different then. The Israelites wanted to have as many children as possible because in their day kids were not seen as “a financial burden.” Children were their livelihood. The more you had, the better your life was going to be in the future. Kids in their day grew up to take care of their family and were celebrated. So to say a man had 100 kids was to say a man was extremely prosperous.

Solomon also says, “Though a man live many years.” Once again in the Old Testament, long life was esteemed just in a different way than it is today. Though many of us want to live a long life, we want to continue to look young while we are growing older. For the Israelites, grey hair was a crowning achievement. It was an indication of wisdom. Solomon goes on to say, “If (this) man should live 2,000 years.” Once again, he is talking about a person who has reached the highest level of prosperity.

Solomon also mentions the importance of having a burial because again in ancient Jewish culture a good funeral was a sign of prosperity. The Israelites emphasized the importance of their dying day and based upon how they died and what their funeral was like was an indication of the kind of life they lived.

So in that day, the prosperous man was one who lived a long life, had many kids and a good funeral. If you had that, many would say you had it all. Solomon says all that to make the point that “Even if you have the greatest of blessings, even if you reach the highest level of prosperity—if you had a hundred kids and live for 2000 years, without God your life would ultimately be meaningless and miserable.”

Solomon’s point in this passage of Scripture is that all of those things—all of them are absolute vanity apart from enjoying God and being satisfied with Him in this life. Look at the phrase in v. 3 that says, “His soul is not satisfied.” There is no satisfaction in prosperity under the sun—apart from God. Solomon wants us to understand that it is pointless to add years to our life and add life to our years if we don’t make the giver of life the center of our life.

In v. 3, Solomon again uses hyperbole when he compares a prosperous man with a lot of years under his belt and a lot of kids in his family to a still born child. This is an intentional exaggeration to make the point once again that you can live to be 2,000 years old and have 100 kids, have a great life and a great funeral, but if you don’t find happiness in God—if you never reach the point where you give your life to Him and find satisfaction in Him then your life is worse than that of a still born child.

Solomon is not saying that a miscarriage is a good thing. He is saying that a much greater tragedy is for one to waste his/her life by seeking after and investing in temporal things that do not satisfy and by refusing to acknowledge God and live for Him in this life.

OUR WORK IS NOT ALWAYS WORTHWHILE
7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.

Here in this verse, once again Solomon returns to the topic of work. Like I said earlier, he is giving a review here in chapter 6 so his being repetitive with these topics is for the purpose of emphasis. He wants to make sure that we understand the fact that our work and the fruits that come from our labor do not satisfy. I mean let’s be honest, we need to hear this don’t we because work is a big part of who we are?

Solomon says, “All the toil of man is for his mouth.” In other words, one of the main reasons we work so hard is to put food on the table. It doesn’t matter if you work at Burger King or if you are a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, both work for this reason. And Solomon says in v. 7 that this is an endless task because our appetite is never satisfied. We work so hard to quench our thirst and fill our stomachs, but it does not satisfy long term.

He goes on to say in vv. 8-9
8 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Solomon’s point here is that it is better to be content than to always want what you don’t have. We have a tendency to be the exact opposite of this don’t we? Are you satisfied with your place in life financially and physically or do you always want more and more? Are you working yourself to death to acquire new things in hopes that in and through these things you are going to find lasting joy and satisfaction?" Solomon says, “Our souls cannot be satisfied in food and possessions.”

SO OUR WORK IS NOT ALWAYS WORTHWHILE

OUR KNOWLEDGE GAINED IS NOTHING NEW
10 Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 11 The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

There are people from each generation who rise up and seek to find answers to life’s tough questions. Questions like, “What is the meaning of life?” and “What happens to a person when they die?" Do you know what those asking questions and seeking answers under the sun often end up with? The same conclusions about life that everybody else has always had because ultimately, under the sun, nothing changes from one generation to the next?

Our knowledge that we gain as we examine this life under the sun is nothing new. It’s the same observations—the same conclusions that people have had in generations past.

Notice again what Solomon says in v. 12,
12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

Solomon wrote this roughly 3000 years ago and is asking in this verse here (v. 12) the same questions that people are still asking today. “What’s the meaning of life” and “What happens to a person when they die?”

And you know what conclusions people have about life today who truly examine it? The same as Solomon when giving his limited and horizontal perspective. #1 That no one knows what happens to a person when they die and #2 that life is pointless.

Solomon would say, “That is accurate with God removed.” Once again Solomon doesn’t believe this; he is simply considering these questions empirically using his senses and his three pound brain. With just the facts before us in this life under the sun, we can’t prove a thing when it comes to our purpose in life and what happens to a person when they die. If we could, we would not still be asking these questions 1000s of years later.

Without special revelation, without God breaking into human history, without the prophets and apostles being carried along by the Holy Spirit, without Christ coming in the flesh to show us the Father, how can we know the answers to these things? At best we are left to nothing more than a guess. Philosophy is a guess. Atheism is a guess. Can they prove their view of the meaning of life and what happens to a person when they die? No. There has to be an element of faith, even for them.

Trying to answer questions about life and about what awaits a person after death apart from the God who created us and knows all things, we are left with nothing more than a guess. Once again, what Solomon is trying to accomplish here is he wants you and me to feel the weight of the hopelessness of life under the sun. And as we have explained in previous sermons, that's what God wants as well. He wants you and me to become disillusioned and discouraged by the hopelessness and purposelessness of life under the sun so that we would in turn be drawn to Him.

A very important realization that we must come to in Ecclesiastes is that we don’t have the answers to life’s tough questions therefore we need to seek out the God who does.

CONCLUSION

Let me end with an illustration.

The other day I was looking for my keys. I searched the whole house for them even looking in spots I had already looked. I just knew they had to be in the house because I drove my car home the night before. After a couple of hours I began to have my doubts because I still could not find them. You know why? They were in my car.

What if I would have said, “I know that my keys are in the house because I drove home last night so I am going to continue to look in the house no matter what and will not stop until I find them?"

Several years from now, I would still be looking and asking the same questions with no answers growing more and more frustrated by the moment. The same is true for those seeking to find satisfaction and the answers to life’s tough questions under the sun. People for generations have been looking for the same things in the same place and are coming up empty.

Maybe your soul is restless because you want to be happy in your life and want to have answers to life’s tough questions but so far have come up empty.
Let me share with you some words of comfort.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Notice what Jesus says in contrast to Solomon. Though Solomon mentions several times in this text that those seeking lasting happiness and satisfaction under the sun are restless and their souls are not satisfied, Jesus says “Come to me and you will find rest for your souls.”

If you are restless because you have searched for fulfillment and the answers to life in the wrong places, I invite you to place your faith and trust in Lord Jesus because only through HIM can you come to know the God who has all the answers and who is able to grant lasting satisfaction to a restless soul.

"Quote" of the Week

"Woe to us if we get our satisfaction from the food in the kitchen and the TV in the den...God wills to be displayed and known and loved and cherished and worshiped." -John Piper

SERMON NOTES FOR MAY 8, 2011...

MAKING SENSE OF MONEY
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

Several years ago, CNN carried a story about a 62 year old man who was living in France who was having terrible stomach problems. One evening he was rushed to the emergency room because his pain had become more than he could bear.

When they examined Him they initially thought the man had 12 pounds of tumor—just a mountainous mass in His stomach. They decided they needed to move quickly and operate to attempt to remove this mass. Unfortunately it was too little, too late because this man passed away soon after being admitted.

Now this story, though tragic, has a bizarre twist. You see the doctors did not find a tumor at all—instead they found 350 coins, which totaled $650 American dollars. The doctors could not believe it! A few of the doctors later explained that this man had a bizarre disorder of swallowing money—he had this deep seeded desire to take as many coins as he could and swallow them.

Now many of you are thinking—“That’s insane! That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard. I mean I can’t even relate to that. And though I admit that is an extremely bizarre story, let me ask you this, “Do you crave money? Do you desire money so badly that you will do whatever it takes to get your hands on it? Are you breaking your backs—bending over backwards neglecting family friends and church to make more money—just to have more of it?”

You see many of us would never physically swallow coins, yet we will sacrifice our health and our relationships for more of it. In our text for today, Solomon is going to talk to us about money. First, Solomon warns about the misuse of money. In the first part of this passage Solomon tells us, “Don’t love money.” And below are the reasons why.

WHY WE SHOULDN’T LOVE MONEY?
1)LOVING MONEY BRINGS CORUPTION
8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.

Though this is a difficult passage, Solomon’s point is that where there is a love for money and a desire for power, you can count on corruption. In vv. 8-9, he gives us examples of corruption in government and I don’t think I even need to give you examples of this do I? You know so many of them already. For example, we are always hearing of world leaders abusing power, the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor and the strong taking advantage of the weak. We hear stories of corruption, extortion, perversion of justice that does not take place in spite of government officials, but because of them. This happens all the time.

Once again, where there is a desire for power and a love for money you can count on corruption.

We not only see this in politics, but we in daily life. I think the O’ Jays got it right in their song “For the love of money.” Listen to a few of the lyrics that explain how money corrupts.

For the love of money
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother

For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don't care who they hurt or beat
For the love of money
For that lean, mean green
Almighty dollar

THE LOVE OF MONEY BRINGS CORUPTION

2) LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING SATISFACTION
Though most agree with the first point—that money does corrupt, close to the same percentage probably disagree with this one. Maybe you have your doubts. Maybe you have a set $ amount in your mind and think that once you get _________, then you will be happy.

You are thinking to yourself, “I don’t need that much, if I just had that certain amount, then I would be good. You know who else used to think in this way? Those who now have a ton of money now and want more of it.

Listen to what Solomon says in v. 10,
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Solomon main point in v. 10 is this. “Money makes a lousy lover.” Notice he uses the verb love twice here in v. 10. He wants us to understand here that this kind of affection for money and abundance—it’s vanity because there’s no satisfaction in wealth because the more we have—the more we want. We will never be satisfied with wealth because any enjoyment to be had in money is always outweighed by our desire for more of it.

It’s like drinking salt water. I was reading the other day that the ocean contains seven times more salt than the human body can safely digest. If you were to try to live off drinking water from the ocean, you would continue to get thirstier and thirstier until you would eventually die of thirst by drinking. Sounds backwards doesn’t it? But it’s true. So it is with those who love money. The more we have the more we want.

3) LOVING MONEY BRINGS FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS
Some believe that to be somebody you have to have money. So they want more and more of it so that they can have important friends—so that they can rub shoulders with the well to do. Solomon says though money does bring more people, it does not bring true friends. Look at v. 11.

11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?

Solomon’s point here is simple. As soon as you get more money, you know what else you get? You get more people who come to help you spend it. Whether it be fair weather friends—whether it be long lost relatives, attorneys, accountants, financial advisors.

One of the more frustrating and painful realities that come as a result of having lots of money is that it’s tough to determine who your true friends are. Many of those long lost relatives and fair-weather friends aren’t drawn to you because of they have missed you all of these years—they are not drawn to you because of your great personality—they want your money.

And as we have talked about already, this shouldn’t surprise us because people crave money and do whatever it takes to get their hands on it.

4)LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING REST
There are a countless number of sayings and words of wisdom about money that are inspired from the teachings of scripture. I’ve shared one with you already about the fact that “Money makes lousy lover.” Another saying many are familiar with is the fact that “Money makes a good servant but a bad master.” This is Solomon’s point in v. 12.

Many in our world are working tirelessly to make more money in hopes that when they reach that certain dollar amount then they will be able to sit back and relax. Solomon says here that if its peace that you seek, it will not come from wealth. In fact the opposite is true. All wealth does is create unrest.

Look at v. 12.
Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

Here Solomon holds up two types of people. One the one hand you have the poor but content worker, and on the other you have the wealthy business man whose master is his money. Solomon says the first man doesn’t have a lot of money, but works hard day in and day out and is content with his lot in life. Solomon says this man sleeps like a baby at night. And the reason why is because He is content and doesn’t have all the worries that come with having a ton of wealth.

On the other hand you have the wealthy business man whose master is his money. Solomon says this man cannot sleep a wink because of all the worries he has that all have to do with his money. Worries about how his people are going to invest his money, about the stock report, about issues with the IRS, about who he should hire and fire, about his competitors, his investors and he can’t sleep a wink.

Solomon’s point here is that this is what happens when money is your master. When you are consumed with money, money will ultimately consume you. Though money can buy an expensive bed, it cannot buy a good night’s sleep.

5)LOVING MONEY MAKE US LESS CHARITABLE
Now I want to remind you here that I am not talking about every wealthy person, because I know there are a lot of wealthy people who are very generous with their money, but what Solomon is talking about here are the habits of those whose master is money.

Many who pursue wealth think, “When I make more money—6 or 7 figures—then I’m going to be charitable and remember the little people. Solomon tells us that normally that’s not the case. Look at v. 13.

13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.

Solomon says at the beginning of v. 13 that he has noticed that the rich that have money to give often don’t. That is very much the case in our world today.

Statistics have shown that the most charitable people are the middle to lower classes percentage wise. They give the most amount of money. Solomon shows that though the wealthy should be more charitable because they have been blessed with abundance, more often than not are not and he refers to this hording of wealth as a grievous evil.

I mentioned a while back that my favorite movie to watch around Christmas every year is the Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the person Solomon is talking about here. Though he had a ton of money, he horded his wealth? Remember the two men that visit him at the first of the story wanting Scrooge to give to the poor? How does old Scrooge respond? “Are there no work houses—no prisons? I pay taxes and my money goes to these places. Let them go there.

He is the person Solomon is referring to in v. 13 and remember that Dickens refers to him as “a miserable old sinner.” Why? Because it’s a grievous evil to hoard wealth and on top of that it doesn’t make us happy.

Hoarding wealth actually tends to make us more miserable. Look again at what Solomon says at the end of v. 13. “Riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.” Hoarding money—keeping all your money for your self makes you miserable.

Those who hoard their wealth, according to Solomon are not happy, but are more miserable. They live in paranoia, are unable to sleep, don’t know who their true friends are, are never satisfied, and are consumed with worry about what could potentially happen to their money.

Solomon goes on to explain that another reason why hoarding your money away can bring misery is because we all are always just one or two tragedies away from losing all that we have. He says in v. 14, “Riches were lost in a bad venture.” The point Solomon is making here is that money is not really ours to begin with. Though we may store it away it can be gone just like that. Unexpected medical bills, stock market crash, theft, bad investments any one of those things or a combination of a few could suck us dry in a short period of time.

So hoarding money does nothing, but displeases God and makes us miserable. Wealth isn’t meant for hording, it’s meant for sharing because money was meant to be a servant and not a master.

6) LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING SECURITY
Many think, “The more money that I have, the more likely it will last and the more secure I will feel.” Once again Solomon says the opposite in vv. 15-16. He makes the point that the more money you have, the more money you will leave to someone else.

Solomon continues to talk about the rich man here saying,
15 As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?

Solomon says here that in the same way we entered into life, we are going to leave this life with nothing in the way of material possessions.

He says,
15 As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again.

Because this is true, Solomon says it is a grievous evil—there’s that phrase again—a grievous evil to be mastered by money because it has no eternal value—it brings no security. The more we make, the more we leave for someone else

7)LOVING MONEY BRINGS LONLINESS
In v. 17, Solomon proves once again that “Money makes a lousy lover.” He says that the one who chooses riches over relationships ends up all alone in life. Solomon says,

All (the rich man’s) days he eats in darkness

How sad it is to think of someone eating in darkness all alone in life? Once again I think of Scrooge in a Christmas Carol. At the very beginning before he is visited by Marley’s Ghost, he is sitting by himself in an old drafty house in the darkness eating his dinner. So is the man who chooses riches over relationships. Though their bank accounts are full their houses are empty. Solomon says this is vanity—this is a grievous evil.

SO THE LOVE OF MONEY HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

After giving many negatives about money, however, Solomon ends this chapter with good news. Like we have talked about already, though there is a lot of bad news that Solomon gives throughout Ecclesiastes, but he also at times gives us glimpses of the good to let his readers know that though life under the sun is meaningless, futile and fleeting—life with God is not.

In vv. 18-20, Solomon transitions by explaining that instead of loving money, what we should be doing instead is finding satisfaction in God. He goes on to give two reasons why life with God and being satisfied in Him leads to true happiness.

WHY WE SHOULD BE SATISFIED IN GOD?
1)BEING SATISFIED WITH GOD MAKES YOUR LABOR UNDER THE SUN ENJOYABLE
18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.

Here Solomon tells us that work really is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed. It’s not a curse. In fact, it was around long before the curse and will be what we do long after this life is over. God has given us work for our enjoyment.

Now many of you are probably thinking, “OK then, if that’s the case then why is my job so miserable?” Though this could be a number of things, one of the main reasons for many of us is because we are working for the wrong things. Like I said earlier, many of us are bending over backwards to make a little more money or working just to move up the corporate ladder to just have a more significant title. The reason why we are doing this is because we think we are eventually going to reach that point when we are happy with our life under the sun.

But like we have said already there is always a more significant title, there is always more money to be made. Wealth, Prestige and all other so called perks that come with success under the sun do not satisfy.

Solomon says “We just have a few days in this life and then it’s over, therefore we need to make them count.” And the man in v. 17 with a full bank account and an empty house is not what Solomon has in mind here. That’s a wasted life—a tragic life and a grievous evil. Solomon tells us here, “Enjoyment can be had in our work and in life in general, if we look to God for satisfaction."

2)BEING SATISFIED WITH GOD MAKES YOU CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE YOU HAVE IT.
19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Solomon says once again here that not only does God give wealth and possessions he also gives us the ability to enjoy them. Now there are some of you in here who say, “Yeah, but in this verse Solomon is speaking to those God gives wealth. He hasn’t given wealth to me, so I’m not content.”

Well I know I have said this before but it needs to be said again. “Though you may not have what the person across town has in the way of wealth, most if not all of you are close to being in the top 5 percent of the world’s wealth.

God has blessed you beyond measure so you in turn should be thanking Him for those riches that you have and should be enjoying and content with those blessings that come from Him.

SO BE SATISFIED IN GOD AND BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE YOU HAVE IT.

CONCLUSION
Let me end with this.

Jesus said in Mt. 6:21,
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where is your treasure? Where is it? Is it in Christ? Or in stuff? Are you seeking to be satisfied in the gift or in the Giver of that gift? Are you captivated by creation or are you directing your worship toward the creator?

Do you want to experience lasting enjoyment and satisfaction in this life? Then you have to put your heavenly relationship with God before your earthly desire for wealth. This is what God wants of all of us, for money to be our servant and for HE HIMSELF to be our master.

"Quote" of the Week

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

The message of the NT cannot be separated from that of the OT. The OT promised that God would save his people, beginning with the promise that the seed of the woman would triumph over the seed of the Serpent (Gen. 3:15). God’s saving promises were developed especially in the covenants he made with his people: (1) the covenant with Abraham promised God’s people land, seed, and universal blessing (Gen. 12:1–3); (2) the Mosaic covenant pledged blessing if Israel obeyed the Lord (Exodus 19–24); (3) the Davidic covenant promised a king in the Davidic line forever, and that through this king the promises originally made to Abraham would become a reality (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; 132); and (4) the new covenant promised that God would give his Spirit to his people and write his law on their hearts, so that they would obey his will (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:26–27).

As John the Baptist and Jesus arrived on the scene, it was obvious that God’s saving promises had not yet been realized. The Romans ruled over Israel, and a Davidic king did not reign in the land. The universal blessing promised to Abraham was scarcely a reality, for even in Israel it was sin, not righteousness, that reigned. John the Baptist therefore summoned the people of Israel to repent and to receive baptism for the forgiveness of their sins, so that they would be prepared for a coming One who would pour out the Spirit and judge the wicked.

Jesus of Nazareth represents the fulfillment of what John the Baptist prophesied. Jesus, like John, announced the imminent arrival of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15), which is another way of saying that the saving promises found in the OT were about to be realized. The kingdom of God, however, came in a most unexpected way. The Jews had anticipated that when the kingdom arrived, the enemies of God would be immediately wiped out and a new creation would dawn (Isa. 65:17). Jesus taught, however, that the kingdom was present in his person and ministry (Luke 17:20–21)—and yet the foes of the kingdom were not instantly annihilated.

The kingdom did not come with apocalyptic power but in a small and almost imperceptible form. It was as small as a mustard seed, and yet it would grow into a great tree that would tower over the entire earth. It was as undetectable as leaven mixed into flour, but the leaven would eventually transform the entire batch of dough (Matt. 13:31–33). In other words, the kingdom was already present in Jesus and his ministry, but it was not yet present in its entirety. It was “already—but not yet.” It was inaugurated but not consummated.

Jesus fulfilled the role of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53, taking upon himself the sins of his people and suffering death for the forgiveness of their sins. The day of judgment was still to come in the future, even though there would be an interval between God’s beginning to fulfill his promises in Jesus (the kingdom inaugurated) and the final realization of his promises (the kingdom consummated). Jesus, who has been reigning since he rose from the dead, will return and sit on his glorious throne and judge between the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31–46). Hence, believers pray both for the progressive growth and for the final consummation of the kingdom in the words “your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10).

"Quote" of the Week

"Remarkable in John’s Gospel is the claim that those who believe in the Son enjoy the life of the coming age now. Those who have put their faith in Jesus have already passed from death to life (John 5:24–25), for he is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Still, John also looks ahead to the day of the final resurrection,when every person will be judged for what he or she has done (John 5:28–29). While the focus in John is on the initial fulfillment of God’s saving promises now, the future and final fulfillment is in view as well." -Thomas Schreiner